The Secret Garden
by Tracy Space Cowgirl
Summary: This fic is based on, and at some points plot and some dilagouge, "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's just a little idea I had
1. There is No One Left

The Secret Garden   
by Tracy (biancaheart@yahoo.com) 

Rating PG 

Category: AU, Maria centric fic, some M&M, basically a   
"Stupid Writing Experiment" as Dani refers to them. 

Spoilers: ? 

Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell. Am I on the show? No.   
If I owned it, don't you think I'd be on the show, for   
crying out loud? 

Author's Note: This fic is based on, and at some   
points plot and some dilagouge, "The Secret Garden" by   
Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's just a little idea I had   
pop into my head, and decided to do a little writing   
experiment. Hope you like.   


Part One: "There is No One Left" 

When Maria DeLucca was sent to Roswell to live with   
her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable   
looking child they had ever seen. It was true, too.   
She had a thin little face, a thin body, and a   
constant sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and   
her face was pale as if she had never seen the sun.   
Her father had been an employee of the government in   
Washington, and never had the time to play or talk   
with her. Her mother was busy with the social   
responsibilities that accompanied her husband's   
position. 

Maria became disobdient and loud, trying with no avail   
to gain the attention of her parents. She was labeled   
an "impossible child". None of the top boarding   
schools or private schools would take her. So a tutor   
was found to teach Maria. 

The tutor was gone within a month. Maria wouldn't sit   
still and concentrate on her lessons. She was too   
busy daydreaming about being a super hero, or a   
princess, or a beautiful fairy out of a fairy tale.   
The tutor got fed up trying to teach her how to read   
or write. 

If it hadn't been for her Nanny, Maria would never   
have learned to read at all. The nanny, who had taken   
care of the child since birth, clued Maria in that the   
leather bound volumes lining the nursery had the fairy   
stories that she so loved to read. 

One frightfully still morning, when she was about ten   
years old, she awoke feeling very angry. "Where's my   
nanny?" She asked, noticing the person by her bed was   
not her beloved Nanny. "I won't get out of bed until   
my Nanny is here!" 

The woman looked frightened and muttered something   
about Nanny being indisposed. She only grew more   
frightened as Maria started into one of her tantrums   
(the sort which had sent away countless tutors   
before). 

"You…you…cheesehead!" Maria exclaimed, thinking of the   
worst possible thing you could call someone. 

She was grinding her teeth and repeating this over and   
over when she overheard her mother out in the hallway.   
Maria recalled the person her mother was talking to   
was a government agent…for something like the Secret   
Service… 

Maria stared at her mother. Amy DeLucca was truly   
beautiful. She had beautiful dark coloring, and   
looked like a porcelain doll. She was always dressed   
in designer clothes. Maria thought that her mother   
was even more beautiful than Barbie.   
  
"Is it very bad?" She heard Amy say. 

The officer nodded. "They've penetrated security.   
You need to come with us…maybe we can get you out." 

Maria heard her Mom start to run, the clatter of her   
high heels on the tile of the hall. 

And then she heard two bullets. 

Maria climbed inside her closet, taking only her   
beloved My Little Pony with her. She cried silently,   
terrified, and wishing that her Nanny, or her mother,   
or her father, or even one of the agents would come   
get her. She fell asleep in that closet, still   
wishing someone would find her. 

She awoke when she heard footsteps. 

"What monsters…" A male voice said. "It's nothing   
but a brutal killing." 

"As if the country hadn't faced enough political   
upheaval lately." A female voice said. 

Maria opened the door. A tall man, with dark hair and   
dark eyes was conversing with a female with red hair   
and blue eyes. "Who are you?" Maria questioned. 

"The girl…she survived!" The female said. "It's a   
miracle. Let's get her to a hospital right away and   
have her checked out." 

The male scoffed. "Seems more like an X-file than a   
miracle to me." 

The redhead opened her arms to the little girl. "My   
name's Dana. And everything is going to be   
allright.." 

"I'm Maria DeLucca…and where is everybody? Why didn't   
anybody come?" She asked, stepping into the arms. 

The male sighed. "Honey, there was no one left."   



	2. Maria, Mary, Quite Contrary

Part Two: Maria Mary, quite contrary   


She knew she wasn't going to stay in the orphanage   
they put her in to begin with. She was Maria DeLucca,   
and she was rich…and her family was powerful. This   
was just an inconvenient stop on the road to comfort   
and normalcy again. 

If there was only one phrase that could describe Maria   
DeLucca, it was "Does Not Play Well With Others."   
Maria had never been exposed to other children much,   
besides the failed school attempt, she had been holed   
up in her Washington nursery. She was not used to   
sharing all her toys and playthings. 

Naturally, this caused trouble with the other   
children. 

It was Paulie who thought of the nickname first.   
Paulie was a tough, solid built little boy, who was   
the biggest bully in the orphanage. Nobody liked him   
much, but nobody was foolish enough to get in his way. 

Except Maria, who didn't grasp what danger was. 

Maria was playing by herself, pushing around dirt and   
stones, imaging a beautiful garden. 

"Hey DeLucca- why don't you knock yourself in the head   
with those rocks!" 

Maria stood up and yelled at Paulie. "Go away. I   
don't like boys! Go away!" 

For a moment, it looked like Paulie was going to hit   
Maria. Instead he taunted her. 

"Maria Mary, quite contrary,   
How does your garden grow?   
With silver bells, and cockle shells,   
And pretty maids all in a row?" 

He continued to sing it, and Maria got mad. Madder   
with each verse of his taunt. 

Finally she slugged him. 

Paulie pulled himself off the ground and wiped his   
bloody lip. "I'm glad you're being sent home soon." 

"What are you talking about? Where is home?" 

"What an idiot!" Paulie crooned. "She doesn't know   
where home is!" He laughed. "It's Roswell, dummy. I   
was from there originally. And your uncle lives there.   
Mr. James Valenti." 

"I don't know anything about him." 

"Of course you don't. Girls never do. He lives in a   
big house out in the country. He's rich. But he's a   
hunchback. He's cross, and he won't let anyone near   
him." 

"I don't believe you!" Maria exclaimed. She stuck   
her fingers in her ears and would not listen to   
anymore. 

So it was not a surprise, when the next afternoon,   
when Sister Toplosky told her she would be traveling   
to Roswell. She looked so stubborn and uninterested   
that they did not know what to do with her. They   
tried to be nice to her, but Maria stiffened and kept   
her difference from the rest. 

"She's such a plain child." Toplosky sighed, watching   
the girl board the plain. "And her mother was so   
pretty- and had the most impeccable manners I ever saw   
in a person. But Maria has the most horrid habits   
I've ever seen. The Children call her "Maria Mary,   
quite contrary", and one can't help but understand   
why." 

"Perhaps, if her mother had brought her pretty face   
and manners into the nursery, Maria would be beautiful   
too. It's such a sad thing. Such a beautiful thing   
is gone, and practically no one knew she even had a   
child." Sister Courtney replied. 

Maria made the voyage to Roswell under the care of a   
FBI agent, not the nice lady or man who had found her,   
but another guy in a suit. There were so many of them   
in Washington. 

She was retrieved by Mistress Tess, the housekeeper.   
"My word! She's a bit plain, isn't she?" Tess   
remarked at the sight of her. "And we'd heard that her   
mother was quite a beauty. She hasn't inherited   
much." 

"Perhaps she'll improve as she grows older." 

"There's not much to improve children at   
Misselthwaite, believe me." Tess said. 

They thought Maria was not listening, because she was   
standing by the door of the airport, watching the cars   
go by. But she was listening. Years of hushed tones   
and being ignored had taught Maria to listen   
carefully. 

She thought Mistress Tess to be the most disagreeable   
person she had met, and sat as far away from her as   
she could in the limo. 

But Mistress Tess was the sort of woman who would not   
take any crap off of "little ones". She was happy   
with her position at Misselthwaite, and was not going   
to do anything that might compromise her position. So   
she would bring up Maria to be a lady, if it was the   
last thing she ever did. 

Maria sat in the corner of the limo, bored to death.   
She didn't have anything to read or color, and she was   
bored. Watching the desert go by was not terribly   
exciting. And she hated the black dress they made her   
wear. She liked colors, pretty colors, like purple,   
red, blue, and green. Not black. Black was ugly. 

Tess sighed. She had never seen such a silent child   
before. She sat perfectly still without doing   
anything. And that was a skill she herself was yet to   
master. Tess grew tired of the silence, and spoke up.   
"I suppose I might tell you a bit about where you are   
going. What do you know?" 

"Nothing." 

"You don't remember your mother and father ever   
talking about your uncle?" 

"No" Maria frowned. She frowned because her mother   
and father never talked to her. Certainly they never   
told her anything about the family. 

"Hmmph" Tess exclaimed. "I guess I might explain   
some then. You are about to go to quite a wonky   
place." 

"Not that it's a big old place, and Mr. Valenti's   
happy about it in his own way, and that's just gloomy   
as well. The house is a hundred years old, and is on   
the edge of the desert. There's near a hundred rooms   
in the house, but most are locked up. And there's   
pictures and furniture that have been there for ages,   
and there's a small park around the house…with….but   
there's nothing else." 

Maria had begun to listen in spite of herself. It   
sounded so unlike Washington. And new sounded   
exciting…something new…adventures like in books! But   
she wasn't about to look interested. So she just sat   
still. 

"So, what do you think of it?" Tess asked. 

Maria sighed. "It doesn't matter if I care or not,   
does it?" 

"You're right there. You'll be kept at the manor, but   
the master doesn't trouble himself about anyone…not   
even.." Tess stopped as if she was about to reveal   
something she shouldn't. 

"He's got a crooked back. Fell while on the job.   
That set him back for awhile. But his marriage was   
happy." 

Maria turned towards her, losing the illusion of   
disinterest she'd managed to build so far. 

Tess saw Maria's eyes light up and continued her tale. 

"She was a sweet, pretty, young thing. Wouldn't harm   
a thing. He would have done anything for her. People   
thought she just married him for the money, but they   
were happy…and then she died…" Tess trailed off. 

Maria jumped involuntarily. "Oh, did she die?" It   
reminded her of a French fairy tale she had read once,   
where a fairy fell in love with a hunchback. 

"Yes, she died. And it made him weirder than ever.   
He won't see anybody, he cares about nobody. Most of   
the time he goes away, and he won't let anybody but   
Alex, his servant, see him. When he's home, he's in   
the West Wing, and nowhere else. Don't expect to see   
him. You'll be told which rooms you can go in, and   
which you can't. That simple. And don't go nosing   
around. Mr. Valenti won't have it." 

Maria turned her face to the window, and stared at the   
dust. She soon fell asleep. 


	3. Home Sweet Home?

  
Part 4: Isabel 

When she opened her eyes the next morning, she noticed   
a young housemaid cleaning up the room busily. 

Maria gazed around the room. It was covered with   
different tapestries. On the left side were two grand   
windows. She gazed out. "What's that?" She   
exclaimed. 

"The desert." The young housemaid answered. 

"Who are you?" Maria questioned. 

The housemaid was tall, with dark eyes and blonde   
hair. "I'm Isabel. I work here." 

"Oh." 

"Do you like the desert?" 

"Oh no!" Maria exclaimed. "It's dreadfully dull." 

Isabel smiled. "That's because you haven't lived on   
it. It's really quite wonderful." 

"You live on the desert?" Maria exclaimed, full of   
awe and wonder. 

"Yup, me and my family. I've got two brothers and a   
sister." 

"I've got no one." 

"Well, you have your uncle don't you?" 

"He doesn't want to see me." 

"Miracles happen every day. Don't discount those." 

Maria looked at Isabel with wonder. People in   
Washington weren't like that. They were always so   
busy, and formal. Nobody really talked to each other,   
except for as her Nanny had said "To chew the fat." 

"You are a strange servant." 

"And you are a strange charge." 

"Who's going to dress me?" Maria cried. 

"A child your age can't dress herself? What a   
disgrace!" 

"Servants always dressed me in Washington." 

"We do things differently here in Roswell." Isabel   
said, going to the wardrobe. 

"So I've noticed." Maria remarked, sadly. 

"Oh, suck it up." Isabel exclaimed, and helped the   
girl get dressed. 

"Those aren't my clothes!" Maria exclaimed. "Those   
are nicer than mine." 

"No, they are yours. Tess picked them up in   
Albuquerque. Mr. Valenti ordered it. He didn't want   
a child wandering around here like a lost soul, all   
decked out in black." 

"Oh." Maria decided that nobody could be to bad that   
loved colors. Colors were important. 

"You're lucky, you know. In my family, we have to   
make do with what we have. Liz has to wear my hand-   
downs, and Max is stuck with Michael's. Liz is older   
than you, and Max is younger. You're what…" 

"Ten." 

"Ah. You're the same age as Michael. He just turned   
ten a little bit ago. Liz is fourteen, and Max is   
eight. Michael's good with animals. He has a whole   
menagerie out at our house. And Max wants to be a   
doctor when he's older. " 

Maria looked with disgust at the breakfast which had   
been set for her. "Ewww! I don't want it." 

Isabel sighed. "It's oatmeal and radishes. Its good   
for you." 

"If it doesn't kill me first." Maria said, sticking   
her tongue out. 

"Go out and play. It'll do your appetite good." 

"Out? Why?" 

Isabel shrugged. "What do you have to do if you stay   
in?" 

"Will you go with me?" 

"I've got to work, love. Would if I could. Tell ya   
what…if you towards that statue there, you'll be going   
towards the gardens. Not much is in bloom right now,   
but later on in the year there will be. One of the   
gardens is even locked up… Nobody's been in it in ten   
years." 

"Why?" Maria exclaimed. "Why would anybody keep a   
garden locked up?" 

"Mr. Valenti had it shut up because his wife died so   
suddenly. He won't let anybody go in. He locked the   
door, and buried the key….oooh…that's Tess' bell   
ringing, I've got to go, Maria." 

After she left, Maria started to walk outside. She   
went the way Isabel suggested. She was still fixated   
over that garden. Why would anybody lock one up?   
Gardens were meant to grow and be enjoyed, not hidden. 

She went into one of the gardens, one of the many.   
But it wasn't locked, so it obviously wasn't the   
secret garden. 

Inside, an older man was watering the plants. 

"What is this place?" Maria asked him. 

"One of the gardens. Who are you?" He asked. 

"Maria. Who are you?" 

He stepped off his ladder and extended a hand to   
Maria. "The name's Riverdog. I'm the gardener here." 

"Can I look at the gardens?" 

"You're free to look, Maria, but there's not much to   
see." 

Maria skipped off. Plants were beautiful, and   
wonderful. They were all alive, and green… 

"People never like me, and I never like people."   
Maria sighed. "But plants, I like." 

Then Maria noticed a robin, singing up in a tree. A   
tree that she couldn't get to. 

"I bet that's the secret garden!" She said. "Little   
robin, how did you get there?" 

She walked back until she saw Riverdog. 

"I went in to the gardens. And the orchard." 

"There was nothing to prevent, thee, child." 

"But there was one garden I couldn't get to." 

Riverdog looked up. "Oh, Mr. Robin is trying to tell   
secrets again?" 

The bird flew away. 

"Oh" Maria said dejectedly. "I was hoping he would   
be my friend." 

"Well, you can't be an animal trainer like Michael in   
one day." 

"You know Michael? Isabel's brother?" 

"Who doesn't?" 

Maria would have liked to ask more questions. She was   
almost as curious about Michael as she was about the   
secret garden. But Riverdog stood up, and made his   
regrets, and went off to the orchard.   



	4. Isabel

  
Part 4: Isabel 

When she opened her eyes the next morning, she noticed   
a young housemaid cleaning up the room busily. 

Maria gazed around the room. It was covered with   
different tapestries. On the left side were two grand   
windows. She gazed out. "What's that?" She   
exclaimed. 

"The desert." The young housemaid answered. 

"Who are you?" Maria questioned. 

The housemaid was tall, with dark eyes and blonde   
hair. "I'm Isabel. I work here." 

"Oh." 

"Do you like the desert?" 

"Oh no!" Maria exclaimed. "It's dreadfully dull." 

Isabel smiled. "That's because you haven't lived on   
it. It's really quite wonderful." 

"You live on the desert?" Maria exclaimed, full of   
awe and wonder. 

"Yup, me and my family. I've got two brothers and a   
sister." 

"I've got no one." 

"Well, you have your uncle don't you?" 

"He doesn't want to see me." 

"Miracles happen every day. Don't discount those." 

Maria looked at Isabel with wonder. People in   
Washington weren't like that. They were always so   
busy, and formal. Nobody really talked to each other,   
except for as her Nanny had said "To chew the fat." 

"You are a strange servant." 

"And you are a strange charge." 

"Who's going to dress me?" Maria cried. 

"A child your age can't dress herself? What a   
disgrace!" 

"Servants always dressed me in Washington." 

"We do things differently here in Roswell." Isabel   
said, going to the wardrobe. 

"So I've noticed." Maria remarked, sadly. 

"Oh, suck it up." Isabel exclaimed, and helped the   
girl get dressed. 

"Those aren't my clothes!" Maria exclaimed. "Those   
are nicer than mine." 

"No, they are yours. Tess picked them up in   
Albuquerque. Mr. Valenti ordered it. He didn't want   
a child wandering around here like a lost soul, all   
decked out in black." 

"Oh." Maria decided that nobody could be to bad that   
loved colors. Colors were important. 

"You're lucky, you know. In my family, we have to   
make do with what we have. Liz has to wear my hand-   
downs, and Max is stuck with Michael's. Liz is older   
than you, and Max is younger. You're what…" 

"Ten." 

"Ah. You're the same age as Michael. He just turned   
ten a little bit ago. Liz is fourteen, and Max is   
eight. Michael's good with animals. He has a whole   
menagerie out at our house. And Max wants to be a   
doctor when he's older. " 

Maria looked with disgust at the breakfast which had   
been set for her. "Ewww! I don't want it." 

Isabel sighed. "It's oatmeal and radishes. Its good   
for you." 

"If it doesn't kill me first." Maria said, sticking   
her tongue out. 

"Go out and play. It'll do your appetite good." 

"Out? Why?" 

Isabel shrugged. "What do you have to do if you stay   
in?" 

"Will you go with me?" 

"I've got to work, love. Would if I could. Tell ya   
what…if you towards that statue there, you'll be going   
towards the gardens. Not much is in bloom right now,   
but later on in the year there will be. One of the   
gardens is even locked up… Nobody's been in it in ten   
years." 

"Why?" Maria exclaimed. "Why would anybody keep a   
garden locked up?" 

"Mr. Valenti had it shut up because his wife died so   
suddenly. He won't let anybody go in. He locked the   
door, and buried the key….oooh…that's Tess' bell   
ringing, I've got to go, Maria." 

After she left, Maria started to walk outside. She   
went the way Isabel suggested. She was still fixated   
over that garden. Why would anybody lock one up?   
Gardens were meant to grow and be enjoyed, not hidden. 

She went into one of the gardens, one of the many.   
But it wasn't locked, so it obviously wasn't the   
secret garden. 

Inside, an older man was watering the plants. 

"What is this place?" Maria asked him. 

"One of the gardens. Who are you?" He asked. 

"Maria. Who are you?" 

He stepped off his ladder and extended a hand to   
Maria. "The name's Riverdog. I'm the gardener here." 

"Can I look at the gardens?" 

"You're free to look, Maria, but there's not much to   
see." 

Maria skipped off. Plants were beautiful, and   
wonderful. They were all alive, and green… 

"People never like me, and I never like people."   
Maria sighed. "But plants, I like." 

Then Maria noticed a robin, singing up in a tree. A   
tree that she couldn't get to. 

"I bet that's the secret garden!" She said. "Little   
robin, how did you get there?" 

She walked back until she saw Riverdog. 

"I went in to the gardens. And the orchard." 

"There was nothing to prevent, thee, child." 

"But there was one garden I couldn't get to." 

Riverdog looked up. "Oh, Mr. Robin is trying to tell   
secrets again?" 

The bird flew away. 

"Oh" Maria said dejectedly. "I was hoping he would   
be my friend." 

"Well, you can't be an animal trainer like Michael in   
one day." 

"You know Michael? Isabel's brother?" 

"Who doesn't?" 

Maria would have liked to ask more questions. She was   
almost as curious about Michael as she was about the   
secret garden. But Riverdog stood up, and made his   
regrets, and went off to the orchard.   



	5. Cry in the Corridor

Part 5: Cry in the Corridor 

At first, most of the days were the same as the first.   
Maria got out of bed, and got dressed with Isabel's   
help. Eventually, she was able to do some of it, then   
most of it, and finally all of it, by herself. She   
learned to tolerate the oatmeal, but was still   
squeamish about the radishes. And every day, she   
went out. 

Going outside was the best thing she could have done.   
The air did things. She stopped being so scrawny.   
Her hair lightened up to a golden shade of blonde, and   
started to curl in adorable ringlets. She stopped   
being such a scrawny little thing, and became a pretty   
little girl. Her eyes were no longer dull, and her   
cheeks had the most adorable shade of pink to them. 

Maria spent time searching for the garden. But there   
wasn't a way into it. But there must have been ten   
years ago, for Mr. Valenti to bury the key and lock   
the garden, right? 

Maria liked to be around Isabel, to hear her playful   
chatter. 

"Why did Mr. Valenti hate the garden?" Maria asked   
her one day. 

"So you're thinking about the garden, huh? I knew you   
would be." 

"Why did he hate it?" Maria persisted. 

Isabel sighed. "I'm not supposed to talk about it.   
There's a lot of things here that I'm not supposed to   
talk about. The garden was Mrs. Valenti's. He had it   
built for her when they were married. She loved the   
flowers, and would never let Riverdog touch them. She   
took care of them all by herself. There was a swing   
she loved in there, made of an overgrown branch. She   
fell off it one day, and then she died. That's why   
it's locked up." 

Isabel left, and Maria sunk back on the pillows. The   
wind was fierce outside, one of the desert wind   
storms, as Isabel had called them. 

And then she began to hear something else. 

It was a curious sound- it almost sounded like a child   
was crying somewhere. 

She called out for Isabel. "There's someone crying!"   
Maria exclaimed. 

"Now there, you're just hearing things." Isabel said,   
and locked the door on her way out. 

Soon afterwards, the crying stopped. 

"Someone was crying." Maria said when Isabel returned. 

"It was the wind. And if it wasn't it was Pierce, the   
cook. He's had a toothache all day long." 

Maria didn't believe Isabel.   
  



	6. There Was Someone Crying

Part 6: There Was Someone Crying   


The next day, the dust storm raged outside. There   
would be no going out today. 

"What do you do when it's like this at home?" 

"Try not to kill each other." Isabel explained. "Liz   
sews, Michael draws pictures of his animals, and Max   
writes in his journal." 

"I'm bored." 

"Can't you read?" Isabel asked. 

"Yes, but I have no books." 

"What a shame. If Tess would let you in the library,   
there would be plenty of books for you to read." 

Maria didn't push the issue further. She didn't need   
Tess' permission to go in the library. She'd find it   
for herself. She was a brave explorer. 

She scrambled out of her room when Isabel left. Now   
she could have fun. She searched down many corridors,   
sneaking as quiet as a mouse, until she finally found   
what she was looking for. 

The library was a grand room, two stories. There were   
more books in that room than she thought could exist.   
And there were curious pictures all around- family   
pictures, she guessed. One particularly gained her   
attention- a girl in a green dress, with dark curls. 

"I wish you were here." She said to the girl in the   
dress. 

Walking up to the second story, she found a door.   
Cautiously, she turned the handle. 

Inside was an old room- one that obviously hadn't been   
touched in some time. 

It looked like a lady's sitting room. A display of   
about a hundred ivory elephants were standing in a   
cabinet on the wall. 

Her mother had collected elephants as well. Maria   
touched the case longingly. And cautiously, she   
opened it, and took them out, and played with them for   
quite some time. 

She got tired and decided to head back to her room.   
She must have made a wrong turn, for she heard the   
crying again. 

Then Tess appeared from nowhere. "What are you doing   
here?" 

"I was walking, and I made a wrong turn, and now I'm   
here, and I heard someone crying.." 

"You heard nothing of the sort!" Tess said, taking   
Maria's hand and dragging her towards the room.   
"Don't let me hear you say something like that again,   
or I'll box your ears." 

She deposited Maria in her room. "Now, stay here, or   
you'll find yourself locked up. The master better   
get you a governess, as he said he would. I've got   
enough troubles without you under my heels." She   
stormed out. 

Maria sat down on the rug. She didn't cry or pitch a   
fit, but she was white with rage. 

"There was someone crying, there was!"   



	7. A Key to the Garden

Part 7: The Key to the Garden 

Two days later, Maria woke up and saw the blue sky   
outside. 

"I can go out!" She exclaimed. 

"Right, that is." Isabel laughed. "It's a beautiful   
day." 

"How far is it to your house? I'd like to see your   
house." 

Isabel laughed. "Too far for you to walk, sweetie. 5   
miles. But I'll ask Tess. She thinks a lot of   
mother." 

"I like your mother, and Michael, and I've never met   
them." 

"I bet Michael would like you as well." 

"Nobody likes me." 

"Do you like yourself, Maria?" 

"I've never thought about it." 

"My Mom always says that you've got to like yourself   
to be happy, Maria." 

Later that day, Maria was out playing in the garden. 

Riverdog's robin was back, and Maira tried to get near   
to it. 

But she fell into a flower bed. 

When she fell, she felt a metal object near her knee.   
She dug down a bit, and found a metal key. 

The kind that might have been buried for ten years. 

She looked at the key for quite some time. Maria was   
not the kind of child who would ask permission. She   
did first, and thought later. She was so excited.   
She could finally see the garden. The garden! She   
didn't have time to go in it, for it was getting dark,   
and Tess would be missing her soon. So she stuck the   
key in her pocket. 

The next morning, Isabel presented Maria with a   
present. 

"What is it?" Maria exclaimed. 

"It's a jump rope." Isabel explained, and   
demonstrated in her maid's outfit. "Now, just don't   
tell Tess I did that." 

"Deal." 

Maria gave Isabel a hug, and went outside to use her   
new toy. 

She looked at the robin. "You wouldn't want to show   
me the way to the garden, would you?" 

Maria Delucca had read many fairy books that had   
magic. 

And for the first time in her life, she felt as if she   
was actually experiencing magic. 

The bird flew, and she followed. 

He perched on a wall that Maria had examined before. 

But she tried it again, and found a metal hole. 

And she opened the door. 

She was inside the secret garden.   
  



	8. The Strangest Place to Live

Part 7: The Key to the Garden 

Two days later, Maria woke up and saw the blue sky   
outside. 

"I can go out!" She exclaimed. 

"Right, that is." Isabel laughed. "It's a beautiful   
day." 

"How far is it to your house? I'd like to see your   
house." 

Isabel laughed. "Too far for you to walk, sweetie. 5   
miles. But I'll ask Tess. She thinks a lot of   
mother." 

"I like your mother, and Michael, and I've never met   
them." 

"I bet Michael would like you as well." 

"Nobody likes me." 

"Do you like yourself, Maria?" 

"I've never thought about it." 

"My Mom always says that you've got to like yourself   
to be happy, Maria." 

Later that day, Maria was out playing in the garden. 

Riverdog's robin was back, and Maira tried to get near   
to it. 

But she fell into a flower bed. 

When she fell, she felt a metal object near her knee.   
She dug down a bit, and found a metal key. 

The kind that might have been buried for ten years. 

She looked at the key for quite some time. Maria was   
not the kind of child who would ask permission. She   
did first, and thought later. She was so excited.   
She could finally see the garden. The garden! She   
didn't have time to go in it, for it was getting dark,   
and Tess would be missing her soon. So she stuck the   
key in her pocket. 

The next morning, Isabel presented Maria with a   
present. 

"What is it?" Maria exclaimed. 

"It's a jump rope." Isabel explained, and   
demonstrated in her maid's outfit. "Now, just don't   
tell Tess I did that." 

"Deal." 

Maria gave Isabel a hug, and went outside to use her   
new toy. 

She looked at the robin. "You wouldn't want to show   
me the way to the garden, would you?" 

Maria Delucca had read many fairy books that had   
magic. 

And for the first time in her life, she felt as if she   
was actually experiencing magic. 

The bird flew, and she followed. 

He perched on a wall that Maria had examined before. 

But she tried it again, and found a metal hole. 

And she opened the door. 

She was inside the secret garden.   
  



	9. Michael

Part 9: Michael 

The sun shone for a week in the secret garden. That   
was what Maria called it. Maybe because it had been   
kept a secret for her, or maybe because it was her   
secret place. 

Some of the little flowers started to bloom. Maria   
smiled as the wildflowers bloomed, just for her. 

One day, she was out skipping with her jump rope. She   
had become quite good with it, and she could jump as   
high as 300 jumps without a stop. 

She was jumping when she heard a low whistle. 

She looked down to see a young boy, around her age,   
with spiky dark hair. 

"Are you Maria? Iz didn't say you were such a   
cheesehead!" 

"I'm not a cheesehead!" She said, her curls flying.   
"And what are you?" 

"I'm Michael." He said, shoving a bag towards her.   
"Here are the tools and seeds you wanted." 

"Thanks, I think." 

"So where are you going to use them?" 

"None of your business!" 

"I got them for you!" 

"So?" 

"Ok, but it's a secret. No one else knows about my   
garden." 

"It's a secret?" 

"Yes!" 

"Ok! Don't bite my ear off." 

She took him to the secret garden. 

"It's like a story book, isn't it?" He remarked. 

"Too bad that most of it is dead." 

"The roses aren't." Michael said, and took out a   
knife, exposing the live part of the flower. "They'll   
bloom when it's their time." 

The two struck up a funny friendship- which mostly   
seemed to consist of throwing insults at each other.   
But it worked out rather well. Michael came for the   
next few days, and helped her with planting the seeds.   
Often they ended up getting up in seed fights. But   
soon, the planting was done, for the seeds were gone. 

Maria gained a friend. A spikeheaded boy who could   
talk to the animals, and had a strong opinion on   
absolutely everything.   
  



	10. May I Have A Bit of Earth?

Part 10: May I Have A Bit of Earth? 

"It's late." Isabel said when Maria came in. 

"Michael threw seeds at me." 

"You and Michael are the oddest couple I've ever   
seen." 

"A couple of what?" Maria asked. 

"I don't know." Isabel said, laughing. 

"I've got something to tell you." 

"Huh?" 

"Mr. Valenti is back, and he wants to see you." 

"Oh?" 

"Yes, and he's going away tomorrow, to Europe or   
somewhere." 

Tess walked in. "Get dressed up. Brush your hair,   
Maria!" 

Maria began to get nervous. She became very pale, and   
stiffened as she put on the blue dress Isabel handed   
her. She followed Tess silently down the hall. 

Tess knocked on the door. 

"Come in" A voice sounded. 

"This is Miss Maria, Sir." Tess said, and left. 

James Valenti did not look as scary Maria thought he   
would. He didn't look much older than her Dad had   
been. He was hunched a little, and she guessed that   
was because of his back. 

"Come here." He said. 

She went. He was not ugly. He would have even been   
handsome, if he wasn't so miserable. 

"Are you well?" 

"Yes." 

"Are you happy?" 

"Yes" 

"I forgot you." He said, as if he was not seeing   
Maria, but someone else entirely. 

"Is there anything you need?" 

Maria hesitated. "I like to play outside. It's fun.   
And I want some earth. A bit of earth where I could   
plant things." 

"Done." 

Tess came back in. 

"Sir?" 

"Take Miss Mary back to her room, and send Alex to   
me." 

"Yes sir."   



	11. I Am Kyle

Part 11: I am Kyle 

Early the next morning, it was dust storming again. 

Maria sighed, staring out the window. She wanted to   
be in her garden, with Michael. 

She lied in bed, listening to the wind. 

And then she realized, that it was the crying. The   
crying from before. 

"I am going to find out what it is!" She said to   
herself. "I don't care what Tess says. Everyone else   
is asleep, and I can't stand that noise."   


She walked down the same corridor she had that   
morning, when Tess had dragged her into the room. 

She followed the cries, and found that they were   
coming from a tapestry. 

She leaned on the tapestry. 

It was another room, like hers, very fancy, with all   
kinds of toys. 

And a someone was crying. 

Someone quite young. 

The boy had dark hair, a brown color, but different   
than Michael's. He was pale, and was lying in bed. 

He must have heard her, because he turned right   
towards her. His blue eyes seemed like big beacons of   
light in the night. 

"Who are you? Are you a ghost?" He asked. 

"Are you a ghost? I'm not a ghost." Maria said. 

"No, I'm Kyle." 

"Who's Kyle?" 

"I'm Kyle Valenti. Who are you?" 

"I'm Maria DeLucca. James Valenti is my uncle." 

"He's my father." 

"He has a son? Why didn't anybody tell me?" 

"Come here." He said. 

She did. 

He grabbed her hand. "You're real. I thought you   
might be a dream." 

"And you're real too" she breathed. 

"Where did you come from?" 

What a silly question. "I came from my own room I   
couldn't sleep and I heard someone crying. Why were   
you crying?" 

"I was lonely and my head hurt. Tell me your name   
again." 

"Maria DeLucca. Nobody told you that I was here?" 

"No, they didn't dare." 

"Because you might see me. I won't let people see   
me." 

"Why?" Maria was quite mystified. "Don't you like   
people." 

"I'm ill. I might make others ill, and they might   
make me ill." 

"That's insane. Nobody who cries like you do could be   
ill." 

"I've been ill my entire life. And nobody likes to   
see me, not even my own father." 

"Why?" 

"My mother died when I was born. He can't bare to   
look at me." 

"The garden. He doesn't like the garden…" 

"What garden?" 

"Just a garden she used to like. Are you always in   
here?" 

"Yes. I used to have to wear this iron thing, until   
one of the doctors told them it was silly. And Tess   
threw him out. He said to put me out in the fresh   
air. I hate fresh air." 

"I did too, when I first came here. But now I love   
it. You should try it." 

A thought occurred to Maria. "If you don't like   
people seeing you, do you want me to leave?" 

"No. Stay and talk to me." Kyle pleaded. 

Maria told him all about her life in Washington, and   
how she had got there. Kyle talked about being sick,   
and his whole life. 

"How old are you?" he asked. 

"I'm ten, and so are you." Maria said. 

"How do you know that?" 

"Because you were born when the garden door was   
locked, and it's been locked for ten years. " 

"What garden?" 

Maria told Kyle all she knew about the garden. 

"You didn't make people tell you about it?" 

"They are told not to." 

"I could make them. I will own this place one day, if   
I live." 

"You want to die?" Maria looked at him as if he was a   
space alien. 

"Not really. But I don't have much to live for. So I   
might die."   



End file.
